If you look back in our “archives”, I once wrote a piece on Harens Old Tree Estate Kona Coffee. (please revisit to refresh your memory, as this is a standout, artisan, handcrafted, single estate, old tree coffee from Honaunau on the Big Island, well worth checking out!).

I just received this note from owner Duane Harens, (long time friend & former long time sommelier), which I think you might find interesting. At least, I did.

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Aloha Everybody,

Just a follow up on my last communication – burr grinders and brewing into a thermos.

I was just on the mainland and brewed / tasted my coffee with two different water sources. Every time I taste my coffee using a different water source other than my own I am always amazed at the difference!! One of the mainland sources was county water and the other was water from a well. I was amazed at how “flat” both were. No brightness like I am used to with my water on the Big Island. I bought “spring water” to brew my coffee (I hate buying water for anything!). It had that brightness needed. Another thing – I had to brew into a glass pot on a burner. I couldn’t believe how fast the burner “burnt” the coffee!!! The really sad thing is that nobody else noticed it!! I’m not saying everybody should go out and buy a new coffee maker. Just go to Ace hardware and buy a Stanley thermos. brew it and pour it into the thermos. Don’t let it set on the burner!!

I don’t know how this will effect all of you – just thought I’d pass it on.

Most wine lovers would overlook tastings which feature German wines. It’s actually quite sad, as I think they will really be missing out on an incredible learning opportunity! Because Germany is one of the most northerly wine growing regions of the world with very marginal growing conditions, the top wines wines amazingly showcase supreme physiological ripeness without any sense of heaviness whatsoever, because of how long the grapes hang on the vines in order to get ripe. In addition, this particular quartet features some of the VERY best winemakers in the world! Come on, be adventuresome and taste something totally out of the box.

2013 Hans Wirsching Scheurebe Kabinett Dry “Iphofer”

From the Franconia region—mainly white-gray soils with gypsum bits and vinified DRY. There is no wine like this in the world….especially its delicate fragrance and remarkably light, airy, ethereal profile.

2012 Gunderloch Kabinett “Jean Baptiste”

From the Rheinhessen region of Germany on a red slate hillside (Nackenheimer Rothenberg) rising from the Rhine River. The red slate (pictured to the right) creates a very different–more stony–bass versus treble–kinds of nuances in the finished wine. Plus the warmer (at least in comparison to the Mosel region) manifests more tropical/pineapple kinds of fruittiness. This is a wine ideal for Hawaii’s warm climate and local foods, PLUS, this estate WAY OVER DELIVERS quality for the dollar.

2012 Donnhoff Kabinett “Oberhauser Leistenberg”

From the Nahe region, Helmut Donnhoff is one of the true icons of quality in Germany! He masterfully crafts wines of such power, depth, vinosity, yet with such refinement, grandeur & sophistication. Yes, he is definitely a force! BUT, it starts in the vineyard.

2013 Dr F Weins Prum Kabinett “Graacher Domprobst”

From the Mosel region, Bert Selbach is truly an unsung hero for me. He crafts such sheer, supremely light, airy & ethereal Rieslings done with such purity, style, finesse & class. His wines truly are like no other. Furthermore, because he is a direct descendent of the Prum family, he has holdings in some of the finest vineyard sites in the country, including this one, a personal favorite & only 2 or so “doors” down the river from Wehlener Sonnenuhr, which I think most people would agree is “Grand Cru”, if Germany had such a thing.

As far back as I can remember, Riesling was & is one of the world’s most under appreciated grape varieties. Absolute bewilderment!

Back in the 80’s, 90’s & early 2000’s, it seems whenever I asked a Californian winemaker what grape variety they wish they could do well, it seems the word Riesling regularly popped up. I could say the same when I asked sommeliers & wine professionals, what wine (& therefore grape variety) really wows them, especially at the dinner table.

Then why hasn’t/doesn’t this kind of buzz filter down to the general public?

There must be some kind of conspiracy or something of the sorts going on to supress Riesling’s success, otherwise I cannot & have not been able to figure out why more & more people just don’t jump on the Riesling bandwagon.

When you mention the word Riesling, wine tasters make their funny faces, a way of saying, “ohhh…..I don’t like sweet wine”.

Why is it then that most people look for a pineapple, a tomato, an orange or a lychee to be “sweet”? In fact, in these cases, if the fruit is NOT sweet, then it is a disappointment. The sweet-sour teeter totter, especially when done well, is part of the magic of a good tomato, lemonade or shave ice. Why not with wine?

Another thought to consider is maybe you are having the Riesling too young. I have had many winetasters over the years, proclaim to me how their once apparently sweet Kabinett, now tastes dry after 30 years of proper cellaring! Yes, I am continually amazed how the once apparent sweetness of a wine seems to “dry out” & actually create a more creamy viscosity in its texture, along with allowing the minerality to once again step forward.

Interestingly, especially in the past 20 or so years, many of the top producers of German Riesling also seemingly ramped up their production of dry & medium dry wines in addition to their fruity, slightly sweet (lower alcohol) renditions. Although clearly marked as “trocken” (dry) or “halbtrocken” (medium dry) & all of the attempts to help educate tasters & especially professionals, adding more categories just seem to create further confusion for the general public.

Furthermore, especially at the top echelon, producers looking to gain world wide prominance & esteem, added yet another quality layer–Grosse Gewach (or Estes Gewachs for some). For the lay person this just added to their confusion. For the true connoisseur, this was Germany’s attempt to establish a Grand Cru stature, along the lines of what Burgundy has been able to accomplish.

In my humble opinion, the way to better appreciate & therefore at least somewhat understand the true potential of these dry & medium dry wines, I would suggest you try one 15 years old from a venerable estate–a 2001 Fritz Haag Riesling Spatlese trocken (dry), for instance. In short, slightly aged Rieslings like this gets glorious because of the additional cellar time. Glorious in perfume AND glorious in taste…….with a much rounder, viscous, creamy mouthfeel & blossoming to the point of being gorgeously harmonious & breathtaking.

One just has to be patient.

Interestingly, the conversion curve from youthful/primary to glorious is VERY different for more fruity, slightly sweet to sweet Riesling. AND, it is so different wine to wine, producer to producer…..vintage to vintage.

The dangling carrot, however, is how incredibly glorious aged Riesling can ultimately become.

The current “curve ball” for wine professionals is how the global climate change has greaty affected the ripening of the Riesling grape variety, even in Germany. It wasn’t that long ago, when Germany was lucky to fully ripen their Rieslings 2 or 3 vintages out of every 10. Since 1988, however, we have essentially had a “ripe” vintage virtually every year. Yes, that is a very drastic change!

FYI–Germany measures the sugar in the grapes by öchsle. 20 years ago, good Mosel River Kabinett level wines were harvested at somehwere between 67 & 82 degrees öchsle. 3 weeks ago, I tasted three 2013 Mosel River Kabinetts & each were above 92 degrees öchsle (which would have been considered 2 levels higher-Auslese-20 years ago). The point being, the wines are riper, bigger & more dramatic today. For the wine consumer this a great thing. One can get an even higher quality wine more so now than ever before. For the sommelier, however, one now has to change/recaliberate their window of foods to pair these wines with, and/or then look to change the wines they have been buying accordingly.

For the German wine producer this is usually also a great thing. They now get 9 or 10 vintages out of 10 where they can make quality wines to sell. Plus, their wines, at least at the top echelon, get higher scores than ever. They therefore can now make more money.

Is this the virtual end of an era, although some would say otherwise–the beginning of a new, great era?

Here are some of our thoughts about the 4 wines we tried in VINO tonight–

Just so you know, we are not presenting here 4 esoteric wines, just to showcase the latest fashion/trend. Each of these are stellar, standout wines, so much so, one can readily measure other wines you taste to, they are that good. It begins with very individually unique vineyards that truly have something special to say. And, these wines also feature truly masterful, artisanal winemaking. The combination is game changing. Over the years, finding this truly remarkable quality of wines is what rings my bell. Finding them from lesser known appellations before the high acclaim & therefore high prices & scarce availability is just the icing on the cake.

2013 Robert Denogent Beaujolais “CuvéeJules Chauvet”

Bet you’ve never had a Beaujolais like this before! Jules Chauvet was a true yoda of his craft & was so far ahead of his time with his au naturale approach to grape growing & winemaking. Much later, contemporary icons like Marcel Lapierre & Jean Foillard followed in his footsteps with his approach. At the same time, so did Jean Jacques Robert over in the Maconnais & his small portfolio of single, old vine parcel Chardonnays. Here is the first red wine from him which has come to the Islands. The parcel is leased from Jules Chauvet’s niece (20 & 70 year old vines grown in sandy decomposed granite) & the grapes are wild yeast fermented in old barrels & then aged for an additional 16 months in 7 year old barrels. The color is very light & the wine quite transparent. The wine’s nose had a distinct gunflintiness in its core, with a rustic Old World charm. So pretty with understated vinosity & character. It is surprisingly light on the palate, but still with good intensity & concentration, just done with remarkable lightness & fabulous deliciousness.

2009 Chateau Belle-Graves “Lalande de Pomerol”

A fabulous, relatively new discovery for us. Situated in Lalande de Pomerol, just north of Pomerol, Belles-Graves produces Merlot-dominated wines with a lush, velvety texture and very fine tannins. The vineyards are planted on slopes that descend to the east, south and west of the estate, which sit just across a small stream from some of the famous estates of Pomerol (& of all of Bordeaux for that matter). Their greatness comes from their own terroir of varied clay and gravel where flint, quartz, and mica offer distinct mineral components to each parcel. How can one not love the lush, velvety plumpness in the front & middle with the prominent gravelly finish. It is really nice to find an true artisan, estate grown Bordeaux which truly over delivers for the dollar.

2011 de Villaine Rully “Les Sainte-Jacques”

From the truly iconic Aubert deVillaine & interesting vineyards near his home in the lesser known Chalonnaise appellation. Their single-vineyard parcels are stunning examples of what this complex and amazing terroir can yield. These wines have great purity, true character & intricacies, qualities one might expect from a true Master such as de Villaine. “Much of this is due to both the diversity of his vinestock and his organic and biodynamic methodology in the vineyards, both of which Aubert stands by with great conviction“. I bet you’ve never had a Chardonnay like this! The nose has great purity–slightly honeyed, floral (in the limestone kind of way) & totally captivating in its minerality. I was really taken by its compelling “presence” & seeming vinosity. On the palate I was also quite taken by how wonderfully seamless & textural this wine masterfully is. What a fabulous drink!!!!! It is wines like this, from a vintage like 2011 (generally lukewarmly received by the media), which reminds one that vintage charts are generalities & scores, just one person’s opinion.

2013 Faury Condrieu

Condrieu was once considered one of the great white wines of the world & here is your chance to try one of the most pure and most interesting. “The steep slopes of Condrieu have a grade of up to 55% & present a challenging terrain where farming is only feasible through terracing. The work is therefore back breaking & is done because of true passion“. Domaine Faury is one of the northern Rhone Valley’s true artisanal producers & the resulting wines exemplify authenticity, done with soul & deliciousness, a rare combination. The primary fermentation is done in stainless steel cuves & then the wine is aged 11 months on its lees, in 10% new barrels, 30% 2 to 5 year-old barrels, and 60% stainless steel. What an exotic perfume!!! Apricots, jasmine, stone, honeysuckle, plumeria–all so pretty & enticing. The palate is rich with all kinds of exotic fruit coupled with definite stone nuances & a slight nuttiness. What a real pleasure to drink & savor!

For the longest time, southern France was never thought of as producing top flight, world class wines. Over the past 20 or so years, we are seeing, however, an emergence of really interesting, terroir driven wines produced from various nooks & crannies & by families who had a vision to bring their wines into the modern era, without compromising what makes them so special & unique. Here are four true standouts!–produced from indigenous grape varieties and masterfully crafted by some of the very best. Yes, this is a quartet one can readily measure other wines you taste to. I think this is an incredible learning opportunity.

2010 Domaine Gros Nore Bandol

Here is your chance to taste the scarce white wine from one of the true stars of the Bandol appellation. 70% Ugni Blanc, 30% Clairette. They farm sixteen hectares of vineyards on the rolling hillsides around La Cadière d’Azur, composed of both clay and limestone, imparting a pronounced structure of earthy, splintered rock. Yes, this wine is very stony & masculine with lots of vigor & structure that’s for sure. I wonder how it would taste with some bottle age?

2013 Clos Ste Magdeleine Cassis

Historically, this is one of THE true, iconic white wines of southern France. 40% Marsanne, 30% Ugni blanc, 25% Clairette, 5% Bourboulenc. The vineyards of Clos Sainte Magdeleine jut out on a private cape to meet majestic limestone cliffs, poised spectacularly above the sparkling, azure Mediterranean. One can smell & taste the resulting ocean character, which also makes it quite the pairing with bouillabaisse & other seafood stews.

2014 Maxime Magnon “La Begou”

Primarily Grenache Gris Some Grenache Blanc in schist-limestone soils in steep, high altitude vineyards & farmed organically & biodynamically. It was but only a few years ago when we couldn’t get any of the Magnon wines to Hawaii. Here is your chance to taste one of them! While this wine star produces more delicious, seemingly fruit forward red wines, this white bottling is quite masculine, stony &, hearty with lots of mojo & attitude.

2014 Domaine La Tour Vieille Collioure “Les Canadells”

70% Grenaches blanc et gris, 10% Macabeo, 10% Roussane, 10% Vermentino. The seaport village of Collioure is located right on the Mediterranean, where the Pyranees Mountains dives into the sea, near the Spanish border. Domaine La Tour Vieille is the standout producer. They passionately farm the very steep, schist hillsides to make produce their standout red (& one white) wines. This is a virile, masculine white born of the rock & sun baked earth surrounding this impossibly steep site. Intriguing, totally unique & a fabulous, mesmerizing drink!

We haven’t done a “Communal Table” in VINO for a while, so we thought to do another on this night. For those who don’t understand the concept, everyone sits on one long table to enjoy a meal with wine pairings by Chuck. You might not know each other in the beginning of the night, but by the end of the evening, hopefully, you will have new found friends. Kind of like what a family does at home…..good food, good wine…..good fun! Isn’t that the VINO way?

Stromboli with soppressata, mozzarella & fresh basil

FIRST COURSE (served family style)

Homemade Sausages

–spicy fennel pork, veal, sage

–chicken & sun dried tomatoes

with roasted peppers, moustardo, pickled Kako’o ’Owi Farms vegetables

wine: My Essential Rose–since the pork-veal-sage sausage had some heat to it, we needed a wine which would cool. Furthermore, this lighter, ethereal pink wine also acted like cranberry does at the Thanksgiving feast–refreshing the palate between bites.

It was a very busy night in VINO. My wife, Cheryle, came in to help. It’s not often the staff get to hear her insights of the world of wines, so we took this opportunity to open a bottle of wine to show the staff a different perspective on wine & have Cheryle chime in.

We chose to showcase the 2006 DeVillaine Mercurey “Les Montots”. Why? Mainly to remind people that, while BIG, opulent, powerful, lavish red wines are IN right now, hopefully there is still a niche for more finesseful, pure, elegant & refined wines like this too. And so, by tasting such a wine, it will make our younger team members experience a different perspective.

Interestingly, when this wine was released, it showed alot of fruit, in fact, too much so for my taste, but I bought it anyway because it was from DeVillaine. Today…amazingly…..the mineral is in the forefront, not the fruit…..& this uplifting, mesmerizing minerality makes this wine so captivating, ethereal & interesting both in the nose & taste.

Furthermore, I thought 2006, though only lukewarmly received by the media, would evolve into wines that would be refined & offer wonderful perfume. This is an example of what one could only hope for. I only wish I had more!

Here is yet another tasting we did for a growing group of young sommeliers from throughout Hawaii in our continual search for “what is good wine”.

We actually started this winetasting off with 3 wines, which will remain unnamed. 2 of the wines, I had purchased from a specialty wine store based upon the recommendation of the salesperson. The first wine, however, was one I had chosen, which we tasted with 1 of the purchased wines BLIND. They were both around the same price point. It was an attempt to show the difference between what I thought was a “good” wine–good intensity, good seamless & complete flow from beginning to end & one that finished balanced. The other was way too oaky, hollow in the middle & quite bitter & alcoholic in the finish.

The next wine we served was a very popular “name” brand also recommended by the salesperson. I also poured the 2011 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay “Sanford & Benedict Vineyard” to compare. Both wines were served blind. I chose the 2011 vintage on purpose. 2011 was a vintage largely lukewarmly received by most of the wine media. On this level of winemaking, however, I am one of those die hards who still believe many can make good wines in high profile vintages, whereas, in the challenging years, we can see the true skill of a winemaker, especially when they can show another perspective on what the vineyard wants to say given the growing conditions. What a difference!!!! Given that they both were around the same price, the choice was an absolute NO brainer. I found Brand X to be very hollow in the middle & quite oaky, bitter & alcoholic in the finish. In comparison, I found the Au Bon Climat to be elegant & long with a wonderful seamless & complete flow on the palate from beginning to end. We then served the 2005 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay “Sanford & Benedict Vineyard” right afterwards. Most wine aficionados would prefer this wine to the 2011. For me, it was a block of rock–hard, severe with oakiness, some bitterness & alcohol poking out in comparison to the 2011. Having had this bottling in many previous vintages, my take would be I loved the transparency, elegance & class of the 2011. The 2005 just needs MUCH more bottle age to resolve itself. It certainly will eventually be the grander of the 2 vintages, but I can’t wait to also check out the evolution of the 2011.

For the next duo of wines, I wanted to show tasters another look at what many would refer to as “Burgundian in style”–2013 Au Bon Climat “Hildegard”, followed by the 1999 Au Bon Climat “Hildegard”. The 2013 was so stony, oaky…full of grandeur & sophistication, eventhough it was almost painfully youthful, hard & primary in its character! The 1999, on the other hand, had mesmerizing minerality in all its glory–reminiscent of well aged Chablis or Champagne–because of its sherry/slight oxidative edges. The core was still solid with lots of vigor. It was a great opportunity to taste young versus old….& what can be. In case you are not familar with this wine, it is a blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc & Aligote, which is named in honor of Hildegard, the wife & once thereforefore the matriarch of Burgundy. Yes, I am also one of those who believe the white Burgundies of old also included grape varieties like this in addition to Chardonnay. And tasting these 2 wines gave a whole ‘nother “look”. Furthermore, I was further amazed at the each wine’s minerality, considering these grapes were grown in sandy loam soils rather than limestone.

The next white wine we served was the 2013 Faury Condrieu. It seems Californian Viognier based white wines are gaining in momentum, even if it is a relatively small category. I just wanted tasters to taste a really “good” rendition of this grape variety AND from the “home” country, just to have something to compare to. Furthermore, I wanted young, aspiring sommeliers to experience yet another “aromatic” white wine to help them grow their repetoire of wines to pair with fusion foods. I thought this wine was so pretty, enticing & captivating in its perfume. I also really liked its seamless flow on the palate & its superb balance. Its been far too long since I had had such a captivating example. (Quite candidly, I have yet to taste one nearly as good, produced in the U.S..

For the next flight, I chose to serve 4 sparkling wines, which I had previously written about in an earlier blog. The intent here was to remind all that there are well priced sparkling wine alternatives, other than those from Champagne, the U.S., Italy & Spain, available.

For over well over 30 decades, I have felt so compelled to include German wines into the tastings I do, especially for those geared for the younger generations. Yes, part of the reasons I have to admit, is because these wines are such underdogs in the world of wines & so grossly under appreciated. At the same time, I have to say that some of the VERY finest wines I have experienced over the years have been aged German Rieslings, as they can show such incredible class, refinement & true nobility….AND, quite effortlessly so. Furthermore, I am continually amazed & re-amazed at how wonderfully food friendly they can be AND with such a wide range of foods. Lastly, I am so absolutely blown away at how under priced they usually are, especially given the supreme quality.

So, in an effort to show “Young Sommeliers” what all of this can mean, we included 5 German wines in today’s tasting from 3 of the country’s (& world’s) finest producers.

We began with a duo of Spätlese from Gunderloch & their red slated hillside vineyard–the 2012 Gunderloch Spätlese “Nackenheimer Rothenberg” & the 2001 Gunderloch Spätlese “Nackenheimer Rothenberg”–from the Rheinhessen region. (please go to “archives to check out an earlier post I did on this winery). Just as various soils & micro climates can greatly affect the resulting wines in other wine regions throughout the world, the same is true in Germany. Most of the more famous & iconic vineyards of Germany have dominantly slate soiled vineyards. So, in the Mosel for instance, one regularly sees gray to black slate dominate the “Cru” sites. In the Rothenberg, however, the soil is RED slate, which creates a much deeper, bass versus treble character in the finished wine. Furthermore, because the temperature in this area is typically much warmer than the Mosel (& therefore typically lower total acidity in the wines), the wines seem more forward, much lusher, rounder & deeper. In the case of the Rothenberg, however, its red slate & resulting stony character helps to create buoyancy in the wine which greatly supports the innate acidity, thus helping to keep the wine fresh & alive on the palate from start to finish. The 2012 showcases young, fresh, tropical fruit, with an underlying stoniness. It really exudes such a bright personality with lots of vigor & eager vitality. The 2001 (donated by our friend Brent Curlow), in comparison is less apparently sweet, much more tactile in texture AND the minerality has totally come forward, completely overshadowing any kind of fruit nuances.

In comparison to the Gunderloch duo (which we used to refer to as “brown” bottle Riesling), we then followed with a duo of Mosel produced Riesling (“green” bottle Riesling)–the 2012 Reinhold Haart Kabinett “Piesporter Goldtröpfchen” & the 2007 Reinhold Haart Kabinett “Piesporter Goldtröpfchen”. The soil in this breathtaking, panoramic, steep vineyard is various shades of blue, gray, to brown tinged to black slate. The resulting fruit is more delicate–apple, pear, slight lychee–with a pronounced pencil lead quality. The wines seem lighter in body & weight–leaner–with a crisper, most riveting levels of acidity. FYI–Theo Haart was “2007 Gault Millau Winemaker of the Year”…..& deservedly so. (please go to “archives to check out an earlier post I did on this winery). Theo makes such profound, thought provoking, age worthy wines which exude pedigree, class & nobility.

We ended the tasting & the day with a gift–the 1994 Rudolf Fürst Spätburgunder Trockenbeerenauslese “Bürgstadter Centgrafenberg”–from Kevin Toyama, wine cellarmaster of the Halekulani Hotel. Owner/winemaker Paul Fürst was the “2003 Gault Millau Winemaker of the Year” & essentially specializes in world class Pinot Noir, almost all still & red. (please go to “archives to check out an earlier post I did on this winery). I highly encourage all to really check them out as they can be that good! Interestingly, in 1994 he decided to make this wine from his home Centgrafenberg vineyard & its hilly red sandstone soils. Back in the late 90’s, although I originally thought this wine would be just a novelty, upon first taste I was astounded how wonderful it truly was. I expected there to be botrytis present, as is often the case with late harvest grapes like this. Nope. That means he must have picked grape by grape to make this wine. I just loved its resulting, unique character as it was NOT like any wine I had before or since. Now 22 years later, the color became much more pronounced & the high levels of apparent sweetness has essentially partially dried up to make a VERY viscous, vinous, wine that showed me something different with each sip. Wow! What an experience. Thank you Kevin!

After a flurry of white wines, we continued this “Young Sommelier” tasting with several flights of red wines.

The first quartet featured New World Pinot Noir & we started off with the 2012 Neyers Pinot Noir “Roberts Road”. This limited bottling is produced from the heritage Swan selection ( as opposed to clones) planted in a very cool, fog laden vineyard greatly affected by the gusting coastal winds from the Petaluma Gap & farmed by the Sangiacomo family. In comparison, we then tasted a VERY highly acclaimed, quite pricey New Zealand Pinot, which was much more about very ripe, forward fruit (exhibiting much Dijon clone qualities), hard edges & high alcohol & glycerine. This was not to down play what New Zealand has to offer at all. Since both wines were served blind, the purpose was instead to determine what was good wine & assess the quality for dollar ratio–both factors I believe are very important skills that a wine buyer needs. Not only was the Neyers a much better & more complete wine, but it was remarkably less than half the price! We then continued by serving the 2011 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir “Sanford & Benedict Vineyard”. I chose this wine because it was from the much less heralded 2011 vintage AND to show what the 40 year old, own rooted Mt Eden heritage vine selection, grown in this cool, rocky site could do in such a challenging year. How can one not love such elegance, purity, vinosity, seamlessness, wonderful texture & balance? We also appreciated how refined & long this wine really was. In comparison, I though the 11 year old 2005 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir “Sanford & Benedict Vineyard” would show what can happen with bottle age. We were all so surprised how incredibly youthful, closed & unyielding this wine unexpectedly tasted on this day. AND, the rocks have now overtaken the more primary fruit nuances that once was. I really wish I had more of each stashed, they were that interesting. At the last moment, because we were talking about the significance heirloom/heritage vine material can have on a wine & the true stand out character the iconic Sanford & Benedict vineyard innately has, we decided to open a bottle of the 2010 the Hilt Pinot Noir “Vanguard”, yet another standout wine project by the Jonata/Screaming Eagle group, led by star winemaker Matt Dees. The core & soul of this wine is Mt Eden & Martini heritage vine selection from the Sanford & Benedict vineyard, planted in 1971 on its own roots & organically farmed. (FYI–the Jonata group leased the first 30 acres or so of this vineyard on the right side of the road, hence the organic farming. The left side of the road & the rest of the vineyard is overseen & operated by the owners–the Terlato group). What a completely different take on what this vineyard wants to say through the finished wine! The Hilt wines were the true standouts from our June trip up & down California & the various appellations. That is saying alot, considering all of the people & vineyards we visited!) Definitely a project you should check out!

Because we were tasting at our VINO restaurant, I also wanted to include at least some Mediterranean red wines. The first was the 2006 Domaine Tempier Bandol “Classique”. Well, everyone attending certainly had heard of this iconic Provencal estate & its noteworthy wines, but having one 10 years old offered most a new experience. The wild, rustic gaminess just leaped forward in a very masculine, feral manner. Although there were nuances of raspberries in the core still, the wine really has transformed with the bottle age & the earth was now in the forefront. While Domaine Tempier has over the years been the real standout of the Bandol appellation, I would have to say Domaine Terrebrune is the one to now also keep your eye on. For example, the 2006 Terrebrune Bandol, we poured in comparison, was much more striking with charm & a truly outgoing, uplifting personality. Yes, the wild herbs, shrub & earth still showed through, especially in the perfume, but this wine was clearly more refined & transparent than Tempier. I really found this wine to be so captivating. Interestingly, as a side note, I have also tasted the 1997 & the 1998 recently & was also similarly impressed. It is a good time to jump on their bandwagon….before the accolades & rising prices that come with being discovered & the ensuing high demand. It will happen with this estate.

Another interesting category of red wines we wanted to reiterate to these “Young Sommeliers” was Beaujolais. We have done many tastings featuring a small list of absolute standouts in the past to show how the Gamay Noir can have such deliciousness, umami & wonderful food friendliness. On this day, we decided to instead showcase how different they can become with a little bottle age. While it can be said that while many Beaujolais can age, the question is always, however, do they get better with bottle age. That is a question each taster will have to ask themselves…..as each palate & preference is unique & different, just as each example (& vintage) will be too. To show what can be, though, we chose to taste a 2014 Foillard Morgon “Cote de Py” versus a 2006 Foillard Morgon “Cote de Py” (out of Magnum). By serving them side by side BLIND, the group had no idea what was in front of them–no grape variety, no region of origin, no vintage, no winemaker. The question was simply, which of these wines were “good”. A wonderful & intriguing fruitiness with underlying gunflint, stony, earthy nuances just leaped out of the 2014’s glass. The taste was equally as exuberantly fruity, intriguing, charming & outgoing with the vinosity, stones & earthiness definitely in the background. This wine also had a very unique viscosity & texture to it, a signature facet I regularly find in Jean Foillard’s Morgons. I thought the wine was fabulous! The 2006, on the other hand, showed a completely different perspective. No fruitiness now. Stones, gunflint, earth, exotic spice, musk, sandalwood, more aged Pinot Noir like in character & much more intellectual. Seemingly lighter on its feet, acidity more pronounced & much more soul. Wow!

We then continued with a quartet of Pinot Noir based reds from Burgundy. The first duo paired the 2006 Francois Jobard Blagny “La pièce sous le bois” (Côte de Beaune) versus the 2004 Maume Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru “Lavaux St Jacques” (Côte de Nuits). The intent was to remind tasters there is an innate difference between the southern & the northern subregions of the Cote d’Or in profile & character. Furthermore, these differences can get further magnified with some bottle age to them.

The next duo paired two Premier Cru wines, both 2004 & both from the Chambolle Musigny village–2004 Berthau Chambolle Musigny Premier Cru & the 2004 Louis Jadot Chambolle Musigny Premier Cru “Les Amoureuses”. The intent here was to show how different the wines from this village can be from both of the above 2 wines & appellations. Interestingly, a side note that came up while tasting these 2 BLIND was how the Jadot bottling seemed to have a veil covering it, as one taster noted. Muted, as another added. Perhaps it was because of poor storage/shipping or the wine was in a funk at this stage of its life?